weeks christine. although we'll see storms today, they shouldn't be as widespread or damaging as they were yesterday thankfully. christine? >> thanks, rob. to politics now where mitt romney is doing damage control this morning. the gop presidential candidate stepping on toes his first two days in london, questioning the city's passion for the olympics and calling security for the games disconcerting. u.k. newspaper headlines ranging from mitt the twit who who invited partypopper mitt romney. and mitt falls at the first hurdle. in the united states, more of the same tone, rather than the slam dunk trip he was hoping for. joining me now, norm paulman, good morning. >> good morning, christine. >> when candidate obama went to

berlin on his big international trip he was treated as a rock star. fast forward today to candidate romney, getting a different reception, headlines like mitt the twit, not a really good reception at all. team romney must be disappointed by the performance the first day out. >> the measure of mitt's visit to the olympics is not going to be about the headlines in british to brit british headlines or crowds. piers asked a question that really goes to the heart of where this is valuable to romney and the american people. he asked about his experience at the olympics and what relevance that has to running a country. and the governor's response was pretty clear. it was about the ability he had to bring a team together to turn things around. and look at the contrast between romney and obama. what team has he brought together? has it been the economy?

stopping iran from getting nuclear weapon? has it been resetting russia? you've got a guy -- to the american people, not for british tabloids and crowds in europe, but the american people, will they reflect upon what mitt romney did in the olympics and somebody to turn this around -- >> and clearly that is the message that the romney campaign would like to continue to push because that is a weakness for the president, the economy. at the same time, your candidate also has to be a statesman on the global stage it seems like david cameron and boris johnson were pretty critical. >> the mayor is kind of a character and everyone will say that. but the bottom line, it's not about british tabloids -- >> hold -- >> it's about american people and the american people looking for leadership and mitt romney being at the olympics is a reminder. >> you're talking about the tabloids but the prime minister of america's most important

ally, please listen. >> we're holding an olympic games in one of the busiest most bustling cities anywhere in the world. of course it's easier if you hold an olympic games in the middle of nowhere. >> i appreciated the insights and perspectives of the leaders of the government here and opposition here as well as the head of mi 6 -- >> i hear there's a guy called mitt romney, who wants to know whether we're ready. he wants to know whether we're ready. are we ready? are we ready? yes, we are. >> so you hear the three pieces of sound that everyone is talking about and you heard the candidate himself talking about meeting with the head of mi 6. he criticized this white house for intelligence leaks and at the same time there are those talking about -- >> christine, please, do not attempt to put on the same level

leaks about specific information about american tactics and what we did and how we did it with the conversation about meeting someone with an organization that everybody knows exists. it's not on the same parallel whatsoever. the bottom line is the brits got fired up and god bless them, they should. i have british heritage and the governor did. i don't think he knew he was more british than piers until piers told him last night. britain is a strong ally, this governor is about strengthening america's relationship with allies not undercutting them and clearly has been the problem with this president. the governor will be in poland. they had the rug pulled out from them on the missile defense. i think this trip is a good thing. he's not going to talk about foreign policy when he's across the pond. but americans reflect upon leadership and relationships with allies and reflect upon whether america has gotten stronger in the world or not and clearly iran moves forward, the russian reset is a failure and

this economy is still in big trouble. >> how does he flip the script here? the british press, the british prime minister, how does he flip the script and show that statesmanship on the world stage? >> i don't think there's any script that has to be flipped. the focus will be on the athletes and great feeling there will be in britain, which they should have, tremendous feeling. mitt romney understanding that -- i think the glow and warmth from the athletes and opening ceremonies and everything, will put whatever happened in terms of headlines and british tabloids, put that aside. as the governor moves to israel, clearly there's no -- obama's ratings in israel are in single digits. the presence there will show america has to be a stronger friend. >> president obama has not been there as a president but has been as a candidate. i want to talk about governor

romney has talked about in terms of success. piers asked him about this battle against successor perceived battle against success in america. let's listen. >> there are people trying to attack success and trying to attack our success. that's not going to be successful. when you attack success, you have less of it. and that's what we've seen in our economy over the last three years. dividing america on who has money and who doesn't, that is not the american way. >> does he recognize the wealth divide, the wealth gap in america? is he dismissing that or the fact the middle class has been struggling? >> not at all. even asking the question does that undermine the importance of this? you didn't show his -- the governor reflecting a comment that marco rubio made when he was growing up a poor kid in miami and look at the big mansions, his parents wouldn't say take that away.

they would say, maybe we can achieve that some day. that's what america -- america offers that opportunity and we should offer it for each and every kid regardless of where they come from. we should offer that to every kid and that's what romney is about. success is a good thing. i believe this president has torn that down. class warfare battle is a losing battle with the american public. you don't dismiss somebody because you've made it. if anything, you've giving them to opportunity to say this is what makes america great, every kid to be that great. let's no tear this country apart. it shouldn't be 99% against 1%, it should be 100% american. >> nice to see, norm coleman, talk to you soon again i hope. thanks. our own piers morgan will join us from london with more on his interview with mitt and an romney in case you missed it. let's get straight to zoraida

sambolin. attorneys for one of jerry sandusky's victims have released two voicemail recordings they say the predator left on their client's answering machine. they have verified the authenticity of the recordings however the attorneys claiming the calls were made less than two months before the assistant coach was arrested in 2011 on child sex abuse charges. listen. >> i was just calling to see i don't know whether you had any interest in going to the penn state game this saturday. . if you could get back to me and let me know, i'd appreciate it and when you get this message, give me a call. and i'll hope to talk to you later. thanks. i love you. >> attorneys for victim number two say they intend to file a civil suit against penn state. a spokesman for the university would not comment on the voice mails but did say the school is taking the case very seriously. people in colorado are

slowly beginning to piece their lives together one week after the massacre. reverend jesse jackson was comforting mourners and calls last week's tragedy an act of domestic terrorism and says we need a ban on assault weapons. yesterday crowds packed the new hope baptist church to remember micayla medek, one of 12 killed in the shooting rampage. >> i see so much grieving, it is evident we are all hurting because micayla's physical presence is no longer with us. she has filled our hearts with nothing but love. although we can not see her, she resides within each of us. >> police have taken down the crime scene tape at the apartment complex where james holmes lived. the residents are finally being allowed to move back in. police in maryland say this may be the guy who bound and

kidnapped the mother of hall of fame orioles shortstop cal ripken. take a look, police say an armed gunman showed up at violet ripken's maryland home then forced her into her car and took off. the 74-year-old woman was found in the back seat of her own car with her hands tied but she was not harmed. conrad murray, the doctor convicted in michael jackson's death says he wants katherine jackson to visit him in jail. through his lawyers, he offered up that invitation to miss jackson to quote, answer any questions she might have. murray said he would be happy to meet with the mother of who he calls a very dear departed friend. twitter apologizing to users for air worldwide outage that left

the site inaccessible for nearly an hour. user joked they couldn't complain on twitter that twitter was down. david smith writing, when twitter goes down, you would think i would get more done. turns out you keep checking it. >> i got so much done, i couldn't believe so much i got done. i'm taking a twitter break today, it was great. >> we can tweet about it later, thanks. all in the family, justice officials using their clout to get kids jobs. it's our get real this morning. flame on, a beatle, james bond, so much buzz around the official start of the olympic games. we're live in the host city next. it's viewer request music friday, it is free off of larry blackwell's playlist, "starting

point" back in a moment. male spirit present.trong it's the priceline negotiator. >>what? >>sorry. he wants you to know about priceline's new express deals. it's a faster way to get a great hotel deal without bidding. pick one with a pool, a gym, a great guest rating. >>and save big. >>thanks negotiator. wherever you are. ya, no. he's over here. >>in the refrigerator?

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by continuing to help you do more and focus on the things that matter to you. let's the games begin. the stadium is ready and athletes are ready and in a few hours the 2012 summer games will officially begin. the royal family greeted the torch on the way to the stadium for opening ceremonies, a billion people around the world are expected to watch. we have coverage all over london. dan rivers covering security concerns. but start with zain covering the pomp and circumstances and a lot of hype this morning. >> reporter: hi, there, christine, so much hype. it is finally here, the suits are going to come off and the

lycra is going to come on. behind me is the olympic stadium where the opening ceremonies are going to take place. 60,000 spectators will be in there. 10,000 athletes, and we're also hearing numbers as far as 4 billion people tuning in to watch this incredible epic spectacle that's been planned around the world. let me give you an idea of some of the things we're hearing. the whole theme is going to be based around shakespeare's play called the tempest, it is going to be kind of fantastical, hearing of peter pan, alice in wonder land, a showdown between harry potter and lord voldemort and daniel craig the rumor is going off to meet the queen to dispatch him on a special mission to open the olympic games, we think a man with

parachute down. paul mccartney is going to be here, rocket man will be sung too and apparently christine, a few men with jets will be flying through the stadium as that song plays. a lot of hype as to what it's going to be like. very cool, you have to tune in and london has something like 5.3 million visitors just for the olympic games. all of the complaining and ticket fiascos and transport moaning, everything is being put aside because the focus is the games today and the athletes. >> is the focus the games or on british pop culture. i'm not sure. >> reporter: that too, yes. >> all right, zain, thanks. you have a front row seat. to dan, where there's still some concerns over security, dan. >> reporter: yeah, absolutely, a huge security operation. they've got twice the number of

troops deployed as britain has deployed in afghanistan. talk of this being the biggest east time organization since the world war. we're giving you a slightly different perspective, this is white hall, you might see big pen down in the distance. although there are a lot of police and soldiers on the street. so far it's going very smoothly. the traffic is moving, the transport is moving. you can see down there soldiers filling in for the private security guards who were unable to make it. some of the major roads are shut. on this bus we can get through a lot of roads that are shut to normal motorists. so far the message is they are hoping and feel they've gone everything to make sure this is a safe and secure games. >> all right, dan rivers, thanks so much, dan. >> ahead on "starting point," relatives for hire. that's right, did employees at the justice department give each

other's kids high level jobs and lie about it? that's in our get real. our "starting point" team heading in to talk about that, roland martin, will cane -- >> no roland martin. here's the ramones, good morning, guys. mid grade dark roast forest fresh full tank brain freeze cake donettes rolling hot dogs g of ice anti-freeze wash and dry diesel self-serve fix a flat jumper cables 5% cashback signup for 5% cashback at gas stations through september. it pays to discover.

welcome back. a few quick headlines for you. online attacks against the u.s. are on rise and the man in charge of cyber defense says we are unprepared to stop them.

keith alexander says on a scale of 1 to 10 for cyber attack preparedness, the u.s. gets a three. a major crackdown on the synthetic drug industry. 90 people were arrested and seized 5 million packs of fake pot and 167,000 packages of bath salt and $36 million in cash. one of two new jersey state troopers, face disciplinary action resigned. the cara van was spotted at speeds topping $100. sergeant first class stepping down. >> our team this morning the starting point team for friday, ron brownstein and roland martin and will cain from theblaze.com.

>> we're going to get real because it's all in the family in the halls of justice. a new report from the inspector general of the justice department says eight officials at the department of justice violated nepotism rules and tried to get children and other relatives jobs. in at least one case the inspector general found two senior officials co-loouded with each other. officials broke rules like this, a spokesman says the attorney general made it clear that breaking ethics rules like this won't be tolerated. the inspector general said it was egregious. >> it is but it is the way the world works in many ways. there's a lot of ways in which class reproduces itself and one of which is the network of contacts available to young people. i did a study talking about even the requirement for unpaid internships has an enormous class bias, you have young people from low are incomes

can't afford to spend the summer working for free. >> my parents said you cannot have an unpaid ininterpretship. >> at the end it is call the hookup, whether in government or business, it's in hook-up. how many times at the family reunion or whatever can you -- hook my student up. >> bright young people around here. >> they are right, it's not shocking by any measure, we know this exists but it's particularly unseenly when it's done in the publicsphere because it's done with our tax dollars and even more unseemly it was done to the justice department, the place we suppose that justice -- this is the tool of enacting justice. >> the bigger question is education is spoesed to be a ladder of social mobility. the way it works now, reinforcing the existing structure rather than -- >> you think they should or

shouldn't be allowed? >> you should be allowed to do it. whether it's public or private sector, this is the reality of business. every single one of us can tell a story of somebody coming to us trying to stay, can you get my church member, get my friend, get my family member a job where you work. >> the difference this it sounds like -- bureau stuff. >> there's a widespread common practice of hiring friends and relatives of employees for paid summer clerkships and internships keeping it all in the family. >> that's the reality of business in america, unfortunately. >> i guess justice department, business, everywhere else, journ journalism. >> yes. >> the chick-fil-a clash turning into a national brawl after the fast food chain's president spoke out against gay marriage. speaking of political fights -- >> the attacks that come by people trying to knock down my business career or my olympic

experience or our success, those attacks are not going to be successful. >> mitt romney defending his business success and personal wealth. piers morgan, live from london with more on iz interview with mitt and ann romney. you're watching "starting point." [ male announcer ] research suggests the health of our cells plays a key role

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i lost my hands, my feet. shriners did a lot more than just heal me. they helped me put my whole life back together. (vo) send your love to the rescue. (vo) donate to shriners hospitals today. welcome back to "starting point." let's get right to zoraida sambolin. >> threats of more storms this morning after a deadly string moved through the northeast and the midwest. take a look at the lightning show over new york last night. at least two people were killed. there are reports that two tornadoes touched down in elmya new york, but none confirmed yet. more than 2,000 homes and businesses losts power and 900 flights were canceled. another high profile

deinfection from syria. badawi represented the city of aleppo, syria's largest city. the battle for control of the city is growing bloodier by the day. rebel forces taking heavy fire from helicopter gun ships overnight. cuba reaching out to the united states to begin talks. president raul castro declaring the table is set. if america wants to discuss democracy or human rights on the island nation, cuba is ready. even though he calls those issues quote invented. the united states maintains a five decades old trade embargo against cuba. protesters disrupting a chick-fil-a grand opening in laguna hills california, for the president saying he opposes same-sex marriage. a group of chick-fil-a fans were camping out to win a chance to win free meals for a home but

the protest made them go home. protesting the opening of a new chick-fil-a in his word, chicago alderman. >> the chicago values are not chick-fil-a values, we'll talk more about that. >> boston as well. president obama's election campaign is out with a new ad called believe. it's all about the middle class. let's look. >> we're a nation of workers and doers and dreamers and we work hard for what we get. all we ask for is our hard work pays off. i believe that the way you grow the economy is from the middle out. i believe in fighting for the middle class because if they are prospering all of us will prosper. that's the idea of america and that's why america -- >> this "washington post" survey said 90% americans consider

themselves middle class. economically speaking you can't all be in the middle. the white house chief economist said 25,000 to $75,000 a year is technically middle class. we know the median income is $49,000 a year. we're still like debating what is middle class in this country. politically it should be a no-brainer, you want the middle class. >> because they perceive themselves to be in the middle class. >> people making a quarter million dollars a year say they are middle class. no you are not. >> the president says he's only going to raise taxes up to $250,000 a year. >> it's like everyone is above average. the reality is the class basis of american politics is different than it used to be. democrats used to be based in the lower middle class into the middle. republicans were the party of the top. if you look over the last 20 years and certainly the last few elections we're seeing democrats

run better among whites with a college education and barack obama survives this election, it is much more likely to be the while upper middle class than the blue collar whites who save him. he's looking at the lowest number for any democrat since mondale for the white working class. >> home prices going up made everybody feel middle class but there was a middle class mirage for a long time. >> people living in delusional land. >> they are still appealing to the middle class that maybe isn't so middle class. >> again, it doesn't exist. so since they lump everyone in together, when you throw that phrase out that's what it is. that's why you never hear them talk about the poor or impofrished because that must be making somebody making $5,000 a year. everyone from capitol hill to the white house, they throw it all together, let's say we're a

middle class country. >> middle class is values, not necessarily a number. people consider them middle class because it's a value system. >> when we say values, it means a whole different thing. if you hear values that sometimes talks about family, things along those lines. >> she's talking if you work hard and play by the rules you should get head which bill clinton form ulated. >> americans do not resent success and do not have an tag nix towards the wealthy but don't define that as opposing taxation, the idea that having a higher tax rate on people at the top is a form of class warfare is not the way most americans believe. they believe it is reasonable for people who work hard and succeed to do well and also acceptable to charge a higher tax rate. >> it will be fascinating. what's interesting is the poll that says most middle class voters suggest barack obama is going to be more friendly to the middle class. however mitt romney will be

better for the economy. >> that is consistently true. >> we can call him president obama, i'm saying, michelle can call him barack -- >> did i just -- >> no, i'm just saying. >> i don't think i did. run the tape back. >> i'm doing the whole issue of my show on the middle class. what is the middle class and defining the charges and why everybody suddenly wants to get behind the middle class? what is it exactly. what does it take to be an olympic athlete. we're asking carmelo anthony and soledad does the bettst job in e world. here's florence and the machine "dog days are over." [ cellphone rings ]

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♪ >> i think it's gotye. >> scandanavian or norwegian or something. >> i think so. he's mostly an artist, dabbling in music. >> this is from ashlee sara's playlist, "someone i used to know" is the song. to celebrate, nike affiliate jordan brand launched a campaign called rise above. three superstar athletes are supporting that campaign, soledad had the chance to talk

to them recently. carmelo anthony, chris paul and and maya moore, they revealed how they were able to rise above their tough circumstances in their childhood to become the superstars they are today on the way to the olympics. >> let's talk about where you're from. you grew up in red hook. >> i grew up in red hook, brooklyn, moved to baltimore when i was 7, 8. >> i read your street was called murder avenue. >> it was called murder avenue. it was -- i assume because it was the crime was bad. >> at that time baltimore was the number one for killing city in america. to overcome that and rise above that and sit here and talk to you and try to describe that atmosphere to you, i'll be here

all day. >> i want to talk a little bit about what i think a lot of people talk about which is your grandfather who's been described as your best friend. you were about to reach the pin cal of your career when he died in the commission of a crime. and i was surprised how it didn't make you turn angry and bitter. that surprised me a lot. most people that would -- never get over that and become hardened people and you haven't done that. why not? >> i was. >> you were a mad person? >> no question about it. i was young, you know, i just committed to go to wake forest, signed my letter of intent, probably the happiest day of my life. spent the night with my grandfather and the next night found out he had been murdered. i was bitter. i talked to my mom about when you're a kid you make rational decision, i don't know if i can hope anymore, my grand dad is at

every game. and i questioned myself and i also was a kid that played jv basketball as a freshman and sophomore in high school. always listening to people tell me i was too small to do this, from louisville, nobody made it out of here. on top of losing my grandfather, i felt like everything wasn't worth it. i felt i needed to take care of my family like my grand dad did, somehow, some way found a way to fight through and who would have thought i would be a gold medalist and have the opportunity to do it again. >> you got it? >> maya, i know you have talked about being a role model and things you want to teach people. what do you want to teach people by your example? >> that being an example is important.

i remember when i was a kid watching in 1997 and watching cynthia cooper in the houston comets and the wnba and all of those women who were out there doing their thing, hoping, beautiful, smart -- >> raising the roof. >> raising the roof. you see them on tv just owning it and living their dream. and i think deep down it gave me the assurance i needed to say it's cool, it's okay that i like basketball. it's okay i'm a female athlete. it's okay to want to go play outside as opposed to something else. >> so cool. next on "starting point," immigrants welcome several cities like baltimore thats have fallen on hard times are rolling out the red mat. but critics say they are

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"starting point." a couple of quick headlines. a former olympian is reportedly among three people killed in a small plane crash. this is in sedona, arizona. the plane burst into flames after veering off the runway during takeoff university. it was registered to pat porter, a two-time olympian and eight-time u.s. cross country track champion. no word yet on what caused that crash. and the former indiana university basketball player who was choked in 1997 by coach

bobby knight has died at the age of 36. neal reed collapsed in his california home yesterday and died of cardiac arrest. he is survived by his wife and his two children. christine, back to you. >> all right. thank you. >> i knew him. >> really? certainly our hearts are with his family this morning. let's talk about arizona this morning. joe arpaio, self-proclaimed toughest sheriff in america, facing a class action lawsuit from a group of latinos who say they were racially profiled by his department. but there's a growing new trend kind of i guess the anti-arpaio. cities trying to attract immigrants and grow immigrant populations by relaxing local regulations, immigration regulations. in baltimore, mayor stephanie rawlins blake signed an executive order barring people

from asking people about their immigration status. it also requires officials to tell anyone they arrest that they are not agents of the city, making that crystal clear. the mayor hopes the order will help bring 10,000 new families to baltimore over the next decade. good morning, nice to see you. >> good morning. nice to be here. >> let's talk about population in baltimore. the population peaked in 1950 and has been shrinking ever since. we're going to show you just how dramatic this has been overall for your city. how big of a problem is this? when you look at population, in 1950, of almost 1 million, now down to maybe 600,000, why is this such a big issue for you? >> don't shave off our 20 -- it's 620. it's around 620. don't shave off our 620. >> i won't. i'll give you that. >> thank you very much. it is very important. if a city is not growing, it's a

city that is dying. baltimore has a proud history. and it's my goal to make sure that the future of the city is even brighter. >> and you are specifically targeting latinos. you are saying come here, come to baltimore. why this group? >> it's important. that's the group that we have had dramatic increase in population over the last 10 years. so it makes sense to continue to work with that community. when latinos come to baltimore, they succeed. many have started businesses. their children are doing well in our public school system. and it's part of our larger strategy. when you talk about immigrants, they want the same thing for their families as people who are born in our country. they want a safer city. they want strong schools. public schools. and they want good neighborhoods. and we've been making progress in all of those areas. >> your plan does have critics, and specifically because you

don't differentiate between people who are in the state legally and illegally. patrick mcdonough said, for the mayor to want to increase the population of baltimore city is an admirable thing. but by going after people who don't have a lawful presence, and awful the accompanying cultural and criminal issues associated with that policy, you are counterproductive. you're going to discourage people who live in the city from continuing to be there. what do you say to that criticism? >> i think it's misguided. i think to assume that people who may be undocumented have some kind of criminal past, i think it's wrong. it's certainly prejudiced. baltimore is open. it's welcoming. we have a history in our country of being built on immigrants. and it's a history that i hope to return to. in baltimore. you know, luckily, the delegate doesn't have any authority in baltimore city, because we don't

share the same views. >> so you are fine with your proposal giving breathing space to people who are in the country illegally? you want families legal or illegal to come to your town? >> it's more than breathing space. people need to know that when they come here, if they are a victim, you know, god forbid, of a crime or a witness or they need a service, that they don't have to be fearful. too many cities across our country are basically putting up a do not enter sign for people who are not born in this country. and that's not the way it is in baltimore. and you'll see it will be a trend. there are other cities that are doing the same thing. chicago, detroit, philadelphia. cities that are on the move. cities with bright futures. >> of course, jobs. you have to have a job. this is the reason why people move because they have to have a job. clearly, you want people to come there to start businesses, but also you have to be able to get companies to create jobs in your town. that's really the most important thing, isn't it? >> it certainly is important.

job creation has been a focus of my administration. and one thing the data shows us is that when you have an increased immigrant population, you also have those immigrants starting businesses. sometimes hiring. you know, people that are born in this country. there are a lot of opportunities. i think it's one of those things where some people choose to look at it as a negative or as detracting from our community. baltimore is a very diverse city. it has a rich history. and we're going to bring all of those people together to make sure that it's a place that people can grow. >> mayor stephanie rawlings-blake, from baltimore. thank you for joining us. have a nice weekend. >> you too. thank you. breaking news. we are awaiting the new gdp numbers. could be a big market mover. we'll have those in about 30 minutes. maybe a big political mover too. plus, mitt romney's international brouhaha.

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our "starting point" this morning, euro tripping. mitt romney taking a beating in the british papers and being called out by london's mayor. >> i hear there's a guy called

mitt romney who wants to know whether we're ready. >> the candidate damage control mode this morning after insulting the british right before the olympics. games on. the opening ceremony just a few hours away with a billion people set to watch. we're live in london. plus, fearing a slowdown, investors waiting to see how much the economy grew in the second quarter. that really important report, and instant reaction this hour. and really getting some really wild stuff. pro wrestler eric young is here. why he's gone from the wrestling ring to extreme fishing. "starting point" is right now. ♪ go your own way ♪ go your own way ♪ you can call another >> fleetwood mac. we'll introduce our team this

morning. roland martin. ron brownsteen, editor of the national journal, and will cain, columnist at theblaze.com. good morning, everybody. there's fleetwood mac. they are naming kids a lot different these days, aren't they? our "starting point" this morning, mitt romney doing damage control this london. he is there to demonstrate his statesmanship, but so far, it's had the opposite effect. british media in an uproar after his comments about british security at the summer games. david cameron hit back saying that security was a top concern. >> i'm delighted to see the kind of support that has been around the torch, for instance. i watched last night on bbc an entire program about the torch being run across great britain, and the kind of crowds, i guess, millions of people had turned out. >> piers is joining me now live

from london. good morning, or should i say good afternoon to you, sir. >> it is good afternoon. it's 1:00 in the afternoon. >> how unusual is it to have this many headlines from newspapers with varying editorial points of view all agreeing that mitt romney had a very poor first day on the road? >> well, it was almost perfect really, because what had been happening for the last few weeks is that everyone in britain had been complaining about the olympics all day long, about the security, about this, about that. and actually we needed somebody to blame for all this that we were feeling. and along comes mitt romney, perfect. everyone can now blame mitt romney for not having enough enthusiasm, moaning about security. and we are all now ignoring the fact that he was simply repeating what everyone in britain has been saying for the last month. >> piers, isn't this sort of like when somebody talks -- comes to your house and they criticize something in your house and you say, look, you're not in the family. you can't criticize what's in our house. americans do the same thing. >> exactly right. and it was just bad manners, i'm

afraid. and i pointed this out to mitt romney when i interviewed him. you know, you've just got to talk up britain when you're here. and i think he realized that. i don't think he meant it the way it came across. he was asked a question because he had put on an olympics himself. if you have been in britain for the last few weeks, there has been wall to wall scathing coverage by the media of particularly the security shambles where they had this outside firm brought in to do security, and it was so terrible they had to bring in the british army to make up the numbers. so mitt romney was obviously hearing about this, and offered a professional view that he was a bit concerned about it. actually, everything he said was completely true. but as you said, roland, you do not march into somebody's house and tell them you don't like their wallpaper, even if they don't really like it themselves. >> david cameron, when you look at the politicians who have spoken out against him, it's interesting because it's not like -- i mean, they are conservative too. he should have had maybe, i don't know, more of a friendly

reception from the politicians there. >> get one thing absolutely clear. this happened the day after britain released its worst economic figures for a very long time. possibly my lifetime. >> 50 years. >> david cameron, the british prime minister, must have rubbed his hands in glee when he realized there was going to be a news story which was this bad american man coming in, telling us that our security for the olympics wasn't up to scratch. well, it hasn't been up to scratch, but it wasn't for mitt romney to say so. but i really think you have to take this with a pinch of salt. everything that mitt romney said was true. he just probably shouldn't have said it himself. >> i want to listen to a little bit of the interview because there were so many great points you touched on. but specifically just a little over a week after the horror in aurora, you talked about gun control. let's listen to that statement. that comment. >> i think that the effort to continue to look for some law to somehow make violence go away is missing the point. the real point has to relate to individuals that are deranged

and distressed and to find them, help them, and keep them from carrying out terrible acts. timothy mcveigh. how many people did he kill with fertilizer? with products that can be purchased legally anywhere in the world? he was able to carry out vast mayhem. somehow, i'm thinking that laws against the instruments of violence would go away i think is misguided. >> although fertilizer is actually meant to grow crops and a gun is meant to shoot. but the point is, he's really right solidly in the line of his party on this. >> well, i mean, he is. but of course when he was governor of massachusetts, he reinforced quite tight gun control laws, which would have outlawed the very assault weapon that this shooter used in aurora. and i find it very strange that there is such a political impasse about gun control in america, when you have a 24-year-old young man, clearly disturbed, but no history of

mental health problems, no history of criminality, so he wouldn't have been flagged up by any warning, is able to go in and buy a high-powered assault weapon, then buy thousands of rounds of ammunition on the internet, and full military style body armor, and all of this is perfectly legal, and it allows him to then go and commit the worst shooting atrocity in the history of the united states. and even when that happens, nobody on either side is prepared to stand up really in any position of proper power right now and say enough. we need to do something about guns in america. look, in japan, they have no guns really at all in circulation. they have the most stringent gun control of any country of the rich so-called civilized countries of the world. and guess what? they have very little gun crime. i think in one year in the last five years they have had two people killed by guns. america now has as many guns as it is has people. 300 million. and you have between 10,000 and 12,000 gun murders a year. something has to change, doesn't

it? >> will's head is going to pop off. >> no, it's not going to pop off. but the key distinction in what piers just talked about is this not japan. this is the united states of america, and we have a constitutional right embedded in the second amendment. that is a big threshold you must pass. when you ask yourself do you make sweeping laws to create for situations that you can hopefully keep deviants from acting on, you have to balance that against what we have as a constitutional right. >> will, i hear you. but let's put one thing on the table here. if that is the case, why did mitt romney ban these type of assault weapons when he was governor of massachusetts? what makes them more dangerous in massachusetts than the wider america? and in the end, what does any american civilian need with an assault weapon and a magazine gun that can fire off 100 bullets in one minute? >> piers, i think you're confusing my point of debate with you. my point of debate with you is not to defend mitt romney. it's rather to debate the assertion you make that these laws are so necessary.

and that we question what guns america needs. i ask you this. if you're goal is, and we should define the goal, to stop instances like this from happening, you need to draw a common denominator, piers. go from virginia tech to norway to colorado and say, is it the existence of strict gun laws? no. because those exist in norway. >> well, that's not the goal. >> what's the goal? >> it's not just about stopping atrocities. there are always going to be bad people, mad people doing terrible things. every country has them. britain had one for example in 1996. the massacre where 16 or 17 young children, aged 5 and 6 years old, got killed. and there was such an outcry in britain, it was such an unusual event, that even stronger gun control laws came in. and since then we have had very few incidents of this type occurring. my problem about america is that i totally respect the second amendment. i totally respect the right to bear arms. i just dispute that when the

founding fathers wrote the constitution originally, when they did this, they did not imagine that a disturbed young man would be able to buy a high-powered assault weapon or thousands of rounds of ammunition on the internet. these things never entered their heads. they were talking about the musket era. the answer to the worst shooting ever has to be at least some political leadership, doesn't it? >> but i don't think because it's an election year, the lines have been drawn on this, and that's it, right? they are not going to do anything. >> you know, you said before that romney is in the main -- you know, with his party. in the 1990s, 38 house republicans from suburban districts voted for the assault weapon ban. almost 60 house republicans voted for the brady bill. there was a regional division in both parties. and what's happened since is the republican party has completely locked down. there is virtually unanimity in opposing gun control. and the democratic party has concluded it's not a winning issue. but the reality is that the public is now divided almost exactly in half on gun issues.

the half that is opposed to it are the half beyond obama's reach on anything. and within the democratic coalition, within his coalition, if you look at people who say they are going to vote for him, it is still a 60% to 65% proposition. it's an unusual issue, unlike gay marriage and illegal immigration and health care, where they are bowing to voters outside of their coalition. they don't do that a lot very much in modern politics. >> piers is not saying take away all of your guns. >> no, i'm not. >> piers, what you're saying i agree with. you can have a .9 millimeter, a .38, all of these guns. you're simply saying, ban the ak-47. for those people on the people who say i support the second amendment, don't even ban that one. ban that one gun. >> here's what happens, roland, which i have a real problem with. i have no problem with americans' right to defend themselves in their home to have a gun at home in case somebody attacks them. i totally get that right. i believe that is the spirit of

the original constitution wording. where i have a real problem is where you have this kind of incident happening, and for political reasons only, no political leader is prepared to stand up and say, enough. we need to do something. look at this. what happened in the aftermath of what happened in aurora? 43% spike in people racing to buy guns in colorado. how can that be good? how can that be right? what's happening is, the gun lobby tell everybody if everyone in that movie theater had been armed, this wouldn't have happened. so everybody goes out and buys a gun. therefore, massively increasing the number of guns in america. >> this deserves a full debate. we have to let piers go, but i can't let him go on without fully explaining what is shambolic is. >> that means chaotic. a shambles is when basically all

the best laid plans collapse. you could argue that mitt romney's trip to britain was a shamble. >> the piers to american dictionary. quickly, piers, a lot of people say about mitt romney that he is very private, that you don't know a lot about him. you know, we know about his public record. but how was he? did he seem like he was warm? did he open up? just your personal thoughts about how he was as a guy and a candidate. >> yeah. i thought there were some very interesting studies. quite a personal interview because we had ann romney as well throughout the interview. and she is definitely a brilliant voting plus for him. because i think she is extremely warm. she was very candid with me. and she is very personable. mitt romney is no doubt i think he feels slightly uncomfortable with interviews. he doesn't like being too personal. but in the end, they have a very touching marriage. they have been each others' only true love since they were teenagers. they have raised a family of five boys very successfully. and there's a lot to be said that is very positive about the

romneys. i find it a fascinating debate, and i'm sure it will be the key debate when it comes to who you vote for, is whether you judge mitt romney's record at bain capital or his political record. do you judge a guy adversely in america because he worked hard and achieved and was successful? because that's the way that barack obama is trying to attack him. and it's the first time that i can remember an american politician being attacked because he was a successful business person. and it will be interesting whether the american public, who are suffering financially, sometimes in extremely dire ways at the moment, losing homes and jobs and so on, will they buy into the idea that mitt romney is a rich successful guy because he fleeced the system? or will mitt romney as he tried to do with me, he successfully argued there's nothing wrong with being a success story in america. >> and who will the voter believe is going to make things better for them in november? that's so important. piers, it was a great interview. thanks for giving us the time

this morning. this afternoon, i mean. >> my pleasure. any time. let's go to the other side of london where we are just a few hours away from the opening ceremonies. zain verjee is live at olympic park. good morning. >> let's get this party started, christine. we're only about less than seven hours away. and we don't want it to be sham bollic. everyone is hoping it will be absolutely wonderful, spectacular, epic. let me just give you a sense of what it's going to be like. we're going to be looking at a ceremony that will divide britain, britain's past, its present, and its future. you'll see scenes recreated of the idealic old britain, plowing of the fields and farmers. there will be 70 live sheep, 12 horses, nine chickens, and eight geese. no partridge in a pear tree. that's just to recreate one era. they will also recreate the industrial era with steel

workers, and then suddenly you'll see the five olympic rings come up, and it's going to be set on fire. also, 007. they are practicing the music of james bond right behind me just seconds ago. apparently according to reports, daniel craig is going to head off to buckingham palace, and the queen is going to send him on an important mission which is going to be open the olympic games, go over to the stadium, and apparently parachuters are going to be coming down, as stuntmen, and make that dramatic opening scene. so lots to look forward to. make sure you're one of the, oh, 4 billion people around the world tuning in. >> all right, zain verjee. thank you, zain. fun assignment. ahead on "starting point," the fast food chain front and center in the debate over same-sex marriage. we'll talk to a republican politician saying no way to chick-fil-a. "starting point" is back in a moment.

change my 11am to 2. [siri] ok marty, i scheduled it for today. is that rick? where's rick? [siri] here's rick. oh, no that's not rick. now, how's the traffic headed downtown? [siri] here's the traffic. ah, it's terrible, terrible! driver, driver! cut across, cut across, we'll never make it downtown this way. i like you siri, you're going places. [siri] i'll try to remember that. [romney singing]: oh beautiful, for spacious skies, i'm barack obama and i approve this message. for amber waves of grain,

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welcome back to "starting point." a chick-fil-a facing opposition from several cities today after its president came out against same-sex marriage. san francisco mayor edwin lee tweeted, very disappointed chick-fil-a doesn't share san francisco's values and strong commitment to equality for everyone. boston and chicago also say the fast food chain is no longer welcome in those cities. chicago aldermen joe marino is one of the officials trying to block the stores from opening new stores in his city. he represents chicago's first ward. so you don't want chick-fil-a in your ward? >> well, have i been working with them -- first of all, good morning. >> good morning. >> i have been working with them for about eight months on traffic congestion issues we have with the site and then also with nondiscriminatory policy that we have made some progress on, not a lot, but some progress on. and i hope to continue that. i want to be very clear. i said from the beginning, it's

not about what people believe or what they say. that's protected, and i'm the first to protect any of that. if those transfer into a policy of hiring or serving, that's when i have an issue with it. >> this is a personal opinion of the president of the company. i mean, you could say that it was 9.4% unemployment in chicago, should you be stalling or denying any new jobs creator just because you don't agree with what the guy thinks? >> well, your premise is incorrect. it's not about what i disagree with what he thinks. he used the language as a we and we were going to do this and we're going to do this. that's more than one person. and, again, it doesn't matter to me about anyone's beliefs. they have the right to do that or what they say. that's been mischaracterized in this discussion by some. the bottom line is that if the

discriminatory policies are there or there are lack of protections that are there for a constituency that is very much alive and thriving in chicago, then i have an issue with that, just as we have in our civil rights history. >> this is will cain. i guess you're breaking news this morning because i have never heard of an allegation of discrimination that chick-fil-a has either in their hiring process or their serving process towards gay couples. are you suggesting today that chick-fil-a in fact has been doing that? >> well, i would suggest that if you've never heard that if you talk to the civil rights agenda, which is a group that is dealing with some issues just like that in terms of firing or being felt unwelcome and inappropriate in their hiring of individuals that are in the lgbt community. they are working on that. >> but chick-fil-a specifically? >> excuse me, will, yes, specifically. again, i am responsible for a ward that's extremely diverse.

and i want diversity and i want people to be acceptable of all stripes and colors and thinking. and they can believe what they want to believe. again, that's not the argument. >> that's a different -- i'm sorry. you changed your message. because yesterday you specifically quoted, you said, people's beliefs have consequences. you were speaking specifically to chick-fil-a's chief executive officer. you said people's beliefs have consequences, and this is why a permit has been denied in chicago. you yesterday had no allegations of discrimination. >> again, will, there's no permit that's been denied. that's another thing. i'm not denying a permit. i don't have the right as an alderman to deny or accept a permit. we are looking at approving legislation for their traffic control and business practices. there's no permit being denied. you're incorrect in that. my point was with beliefs have consequences, if those beliefs turn into actions and actions of discriminatory policy or the lack of protections for people,

that's the issue. it's not the belief. if the belief turns into action, there are consequences and i'll clarify my statement. >> alderman, we at cnn have not substantiated any of the claims about the company actually in its hiring or serving practices putting this into -- you know, using anything discriminatory. we'll look at that. and you're saying if, if. so let's play the if game, then. if chick-fil-a is not doing anything discriminatory in its firing or in its serving, then you're not going to let the opinion of the president stop you from creating jobs in your district? >> again, eight or nine months i have been working on this without any public exposure from me or from the lgbt group or from chick-fil-a. we have been working on this, and this is their words, not mine, they will no longer donate dollars to any organization left, right, or center that has a political agenda. that was one thing we were working on.

>> will you demand that from all companies that do business? a lot of companies donate. if you're going to make everybody be apolitical and have no stand -- >> that was not a demand. let's be very clear. you're putting words in my mouth. i did not demand that of them. they offered that. secondly, they are working on -- they put into the language that they are acceptable to everyone. they put it on their facebook page. i think that's a good step. let's put it in the employee handbook and open up a chick-fil-a in chicago. >> joe moreno, thank you for joining us. it's a free speech issue. a job creation issue. and also a legal issue. >> and the question of what is appropriate, consumers can make their own decisions. this week, $2.5 million were given to a gay organization, so will people in alabama ban amazon? >> well, it's also the point yesterday. what's next? for instance, chicago has been trying to get a casino in

downtown chicago. if sheldon addison says, i want to build one, he gives money to candidates who don't believe in same-sex marriage. are you going to say his casino can't come in here? >> the reality is the battle -- i have been covering politics for 35 years. the battlefield is expanding. no one is an innocent by-stander. anyone who steps out and gets involved in a debate is now -- >> i think the alderman realizes for some reason he has walked out on very, very thin ice regarding the first amendment. and now the story is changing. but i would suggest he might have walked onto thinner ice this morning by suggesting there is driscriminatory practice in chick-fil-a that no one has suggested. >> obviously, you can't deny someone permits because of the views of the leadership. but consumers are different. and you are seeing companies being drawn into these political disputes once they step onto the battlefield. look at whole foods and health care. remember that. >> and he talked about we. and the company goes by biblical

principles. it doesn't operate on sunday. it is not a publicly traded company. right? it's a private company. >> i don't know. >> we have to go. all right. it's 27 minutes past the hour. (cat purring) mornings are a special time for the two of you... and now you can make them even more special... with new fancy feast mornings. mornings are delicious protein rich entrées... with garden veggies and egg. each one perfectly designed... to start her day with a little love.

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we're minutes away from the release of the new gdp numbers on the health of the economy. investors bracing for bad news. we'll have those numbers to you and tell you what it means both for your wallet and for this election. and why pro wrestler eric "showtime" young is taking on extreme fishing. "starting point" is back in a moment.

welcome back to "starting point." just in to cnn, the latest gdp report. the u.s. economy grew at a 1.5% annual rate in the second quarter. that's a little better than we had feared in the markets. this is economic growth basically from 2001 to now. 1.5% now is what it really was. 1.5%. and there was also a revision, which is important here. the first quarter was changed to be 2%. so a little bit better than we had expected. if you look in the trajectory of the economic numbers, you can see this is not as robust growth as we had hoped, but clearly a little bit better than expected. this is just to give you some perception. or some context, rather. back to 2009, these are those horrible quarters when the economy was contracting and hundreds of thousands of people were losing their jobs. and this is the slow and painful attempt to recover to get to robust economic growth. what's clear is 1.5% economic

growth is better than we thought, but it's probably not enough to be adding a whole bunch of jobs. and ken rogoff has joined our team this morning. he is currently a professor of economics and public policy at harvard university. ken, i want to ask you, 1.5% economic growth, it's better than we thought, but not great, is it? >> it's not great. it's a touch better than it could have been. i was worried it would be even worse than this. and they upgraded what happened last quarter a little bit. so on balance, a slightly positive report in a gloomy picture. >> and we know the futures are up about 50 points. >> ken, are we making a huge mistake when we continue to say, well, we are comparing it to this period in american history, when we're now living in a different world? we no longer have access to cheap credit. people aren't spending money. they aren't buying products. 70% of our economy is based upon consumer spending. and so ben bernanke said, this is going to take us a long time. when do americans realize it's not going to be overnight,

you're not going to find a silver bullet next month? >> roland, i think a lot of americans do realize that. if you've been looking for a job, we have long-term unemployed like we haven't seen since the great depression. kids are having a hard time finding jobs out of college. part-time work in the summer is hard to find. i think people feel that, and it feels like it's going to last a long time. and i'm afraid it will. i think it could be the same again to really feeling normal. >> how far of the way are we through it? and how many more years do you think we have to look forward to slow growth? >> look forward? >> anticipate. >> complain about. >> you know, as you start to get further out in the future, this is a great economy. so there's stuff like the energy revolution that's coming that might actually bring manufacturing back. but for the next few years, what roland said, people don't have good access to credit. they are nervous. they don't want to be as deep in debt as they were. they are deleveraging. >> and that's a good thing,

though. we can't be -- >> well, when everybody does it at once, it's a bad thing. >> you say it's a good thing. we preached all that time, save, save, save. but when people save, they aren't spending. our economy is driven by spending. >> well, we live in a world that is slowing down. so when this happens to countries normally you get out of it by exporting a lot, other people buying your stuff. but the whole world is feeling it. the whole world is slow. >> we saw the uk, the gdp numbers yesterday, and they were pretty ugly. and i have been looking at the economic reports, and all different kinds of companies are saying their european sales are slowing, and they can see europe biting. how dangerous is that to the u.s.? >> well, i think the european situation is this dark cloud hanging over the world. no one knows how it will be resolved. and it's really an existential risk. let's experiment with trying to take these different countries and merge them and to use a

single currency to accelerate that. and it could blow up. i don't think it's more likely than not. i think it probably won't. but if it does, it's really -- >> is it a bigger risk to the u.s. than the riskal cliff? >> absolutely. >> europe is bigger than the fiscal cliff? >> the fiscal cliff is not going to happen. they are going to get there and they are going to do something. europe i wish i could say for sure. >> from your lips to their ears. >> roland's question is we make a mistake when we make historical analysis because this time is different. you are talking to a guy who has made his career analyzing over long time periods. but i think it is a mistake to what you know of as recessions. to the '80s, and the '90s. it feels much more like the '30s. >> or deep postwar financial crises like japan had, some of the scandinavian countries. and it's very slow. it's not like the typical recession. >> and is there anything that can more dramatically accelerate

the working through process? >> no. no quick fix. but i think you have to look ahead. you're not going to fix this in a year. improve your education. >> but you can make it worse. >> you can make it worse with panic reaction. i agree. but we don't experience this very often. so it's not like anybody knows what's going to work. >> i keep saying that the politicians need to say it's either going to be bad, or really bad. those are your two choices in the near term. but no one is very honest about it because you don't get elected that way. >> that can be self-fulfilling too. >> ken, i know we'll talk to you later as well. next on "starting point," from the ring to the rod? that's right. pro wrestler eric young is going extreme fishing where he's even tackling sharks. he joining us next. very cool. we'll leave you with "the horse" by chris nobles from viewer carl strickland's play list. you're watching "starting point." and there he is. you didn't bring your fishing rod. >> no, not today.

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a little bit of the who, right, from viewer -- >> i have summertime blues on my list for today. >> oh, my. but it is our viewer friday. he's gng from the

wrestling ring to extreme fishing. professional wrestler showtime eric young is reeling in some big catches with off the hook, extreme catches. he promises adventures from the wild to the weird using nontraditional methods and nontraditional materials to catch fish. take a look. >> there's a shark on this line. and i am on to what paddleboard fishermen refer to as the florida sleigh ride. whoa. he is completely pulling me around. it's like an oxen. the only thing separating me from the shark is four inches of fiberglass, my shoes, and my despicable beard. >> we like it. welcome to the program. nice to see you. >> nice to be here. >> we are seeing the greek letters on your hat is fish. >> yeah. >> very clever. >> tell me why you went from wrestling to wrestling fish. >> it's something i've done since i was a kid. my dad got me into it. the first thing he said to my mom after i was born, finally, i

have a fishing partner. he got me into it as a kid. and then i got into wrestling, and it kind of took me away from it. i did it here or there, not any time or money to do it for most of my life. and then when this came along, i jumped at a chance. >> the fishing shows i grew up watching were not like this. it was a guy in a bass boat. so how is this different? >> it's different in the fact that even if you're a person from the fishing community, a lot of the stuff you haven't seen or haven't heard of. it's very fringe and american ingenuity. >> like ma gaacgyver in a boat. >> right. we did oil rig spear fishing. a crazy technique was -- >> two things roland do neither separately or together. >> is there like a don't try this at home label on the show? >> eric young is not a stunt man and does stupid things and don't try this. it's true. >> eric, which one honestly scared you the most? was it paddle boarding with sharks? jet ski fishing?

which is the most extreme for you? >> the paddle board for sharks was scary, because there's blood in the water. you're standing on the paddle board. it's just a surfboard with a paddle. it's tippy. and you could see the sharks everywhere in the water all around us. and i caught a six-foot lemon shark. >> yeah. >> wow. >> let's go dance with some sharks in the paddle boat. >> usually people go the opposite direction of the sharks. >> there's something about the adrenalin and the excitement of it. and a lot of people fish for that reason, the adrenalin of it. and my favorite part is meeting these people that do this for a living. it's american ingenuity at its finest. >> you can meet them on land, though. >> yeah. but you can't really experience it that way. >> when i think of my father, fishing and adrenalin are not usually in the same sentence. >> but when you are catching a fish, you chase it. i caught my first fish i think as 4 years old, and i have been

chasing that original high ever since. there's nothing like that. >> that's right. like the sailfish. i caught a sailfish from a handmade raft. in the middle of the atlantic ocean in this handmade raft that i built, with this pro fisherman, and i caught a seven foot 70-pound sailfish. and i'll never forget that as long as i live. >> there's another weird and unusual extreme moment with panty hose. listen to this. >> i am looking for panty hose. >> do explain. do explain what panty hose have on do with the very masculine -- >> the leg i actually made into a lamp. and the panty hose are actually used for catching sharks. sharks love ladies panty hose. >> why? >> it's a technique that's been

around for years. i had never heard of it. i was really skeptical about it. you chop up the bait fish, put it in, and it makes like a fish sausage. and the blood and the oil, that's how you attract the sharks. they come in. bite the panty hose. and you reel them in. >> tell us about your hand. >> a couple of months ago, a 45-pound catfish. >> you went noodling? >> well, in different areas they call it different things. i went with two ladies. super fun ladies. and fearless. like i was not looking forward to it at all. i thought, they are doing it. i better get in there. you reach your hand into this hole and hope it's a catfish. >> seriously? >> yeah. >> eric young. can't wait to see it. it's animal planet, "off the hook extreme catches." nice to meet you. >> it's cool to be here. "starting point" is back in a moment. to being a different kind of communications company.

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welcome back to "starting point." nearly a quarter of women in america have experienced severe violence at the hands of someone close to them. this week's hero is helping them take steps back to normalcy. >> when i was 13, my dad was very violent. and attempted to murder my mom. >> hi, baby. >> it wasn't until i was 55 that i came to work in a shelter. and met a woman who had fled chicago with two young children. she had no documentation. she did not legally exist. she said, can you help me? i need $40 to get all the documentation. it is totally forbidden, but i gave her the two $20 bills, and

i'm thinking i just changed three lives with $40. i had no idea that i had actually changed my life as well. my name is jo crawford, and i ask them survivors of domestic violence to dream their best life. and i give them the means to accomplish the first step. this is what you want. and this is what you deserve. the women are all out of a relationship for at least six months. they have to be free of alcohol and drugs. and they have got to have a dream. >> i want to go back to school to do social work. i want to be a social worker. >> it's not a gift. she agrees to pay it forward to three other survivors. >> i'm going to be helping three ladies get their g.e.d. >> thank you so much. >> these women need to know that they deserve the dream and have the power to create it. >> i got so much help which enabled me to buy a sewing machine. and that made me realize that i should be a person that not only

receiving help but gives help. >> i am so proud of you. >> one woman can make a difference. but women working together can change the world. "end point" is coming up next. [ nurse ] i'm a hospice nurse. britta olsen is my patient. i spend long hours with her checking her heart rate, administering her medication, and just making her comfortable. one night britta told me about a tradition in denmark, "when a person dies," she said, "someone must open the window so the soul can depart." i smiled and squeezed her hand. "not tonight, britta. not tonight." [ female announcer ] to nurses everywhere, thank you, from johnson & johnson. diarrhea, gas or bloating? get ahead of it! one phillips' colon health probiotic cap a day

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time for "the end point." we want to revisit something that norm coleman said earlier on this program. we were talking about mitt romney's gaff over the olympics in london and his upcoming trip to israel when coleman told us this. >> whatever happened yesterday in terms of headlines in british tabloids, put that aside. and then beyond that as the governor moves to israel, clearly which there's no -- obama's ratings in israel i think are in single digits. simply the presence there will be a strong indication that america has to be a stronger friend to america. >> that approval rate of single digits, that seemed low. we called coleman's office and they said they could not confirm that number. and according to one rating, president obama's favorable view in israel was at 40% in 2010. it went up one year later to 54%

in 2011. >> good point. the reality is that a likud government, netanyahu, feels closer to obama. but that is not necessarily indicative of the broad public. and by the way, the great new book, the twilight war, the last 30 years of u.s. and iran, look how ronald reagan dealt with israel. how different it is to even to discuss today to have an independent and even confrontational sometimes point of view. >> this is the problem when you try to measure what the political leaders in israel how they feel about this president compared to what the people actually feel. we also have to make that distinction. to call him out on it, single digits, 54%, that's a long way off. >> 41%, but still a long way. >> no, no. 54% is the new number. >> either way, you're right. but the larger point is we don't let somebody get away with someone just throwing something up against the wall to see if it sticks. >> have a great weekend,

everybody. "cnn newsroom" is starting right now. blunderful in great britain. mitt romney within 24 hours managed to make headlines with comments that offend. the prime minister, the mayor of london, "the daily mail" saying he is devoid of charm, offensive, and this morning team romney is in damage control. pepsi scare. a hospital technician suspected of infecting at least 30 people. and this morning we talk to one of those people. nearly 1,000 miles of america waking up battered. torrential rain, dark skies. the northeast is battered. >> just outside of the cnn worldwide headquarters at centennial olympic park. we are counting down to london 2012. i'm rob marciano. i'll have the weather on both sides of the pond. "cnn newsroom" starts right now. and good morning to you. happy friday. thank you for joining us. i'm carol costello.

we begin with new details on a man who is accused of being a serial infector of hepatitis c. infecting many people. one hospital fired him for drug abuse two years ago. our senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen is in boston with more. good morning, elizabeth. >> reporter: carol, let me tell you when what happened in arizona. cnn has learned that david kwiatkowsky was working at a hospital in arizona when his fellow employees found him passed out in the men's locker room. they found syringes on his person. he was in possession of syringes. they took him to the emergency room to treat him. when they tested him, he tested positive for cocaine and marijuana, and that hospital did report him to arizona authorities. legal authorities, law enforcement i shou